Battery size is 3045mAh and non-removable vs. removable 2200mAh on the C5. The battery lifespan seems slightly shorter on the C5 Max. I attribute that to the additional 4 cores and larger and higher resolution display.

Weight is 161g vs. 141g

AC charger current is 2A vs. 1A

Micro USB port faces differently. The C5 is the Samsung orientation while the C5 Max is in the other direction.

Turbo download on the C5 Max that lets you download content using both mobile data and Wi-Fi bandwidth at the same time.

The C5 Max uses full HD 1080p display compared to HD 720p on the C5. The C5 Max is noticeably brighter, and in fact, is the brightest among the smartphones below.

The C5 Max has a 13MP rear camera while the C5 houses a 8MP, and there is marked difference in image quality upon close review. C5 Max is sharper and handles white balance better. Taken through a tinted window, here’s the C5 Max cropped at lower right, from 4160 x 3120 (13MP) to 1117 x 840.

Neffos C5 Max crop

Here’s Neffos C5 cropped from 3264 x 2448 (8MP) to 901 x 678. It was not able to compensate the white balance of the tinted window.

Neffos C5 crop

Here are some additional sample images taken with the Neffos C5 Max. Love how it captures the gloss of food.

Images skew towards warm tones which is pleasing to the eyes.

Some specs remain the same between the 2 models:

2GB RAM, 16GB storage

5MP front camera

Supports External micro SD card up to 32GB

Dual SIM LTE/3G/2G mobile network

Here’s why Neffos C5 Max is a rather competent smartphone even for a first-generation model series by TP-LINK.

Adequate hardware performance

With 8-core 1.3GHz, Full HD screen, dual SIM 4G LTE support, micro SD slot, 13MP rear camera, the C5 Max runs confidently for the usual apps. It might not be as fast and smooth when it comes to switching tasks compared to other flagship models like LG G5, but so is the price.

Simple Launcher

The C5 Max, like the C5, uses a simple single app drawer like iOS and Xiaomi MIUI. Unique features include the ability to hide apps which can be easily accessed by swiping the home screen with 2 fingers. Because of this convenience, I use it exclusively as a quick-access shortcut to some of my apps. I can also move among the app folders by swiping left or right under the folder view, instead of exiting the folder to return to the home screen before clicking another folder.

It also has a suite of system management tools to manage the phone, which I find really useful to control permissions, monitor data usages for each app.

Advanced Screen Capture

C5 Max supports long screenshots or freestyle screen capture, a feature that you can hardly find even on premium devices. The stitching is not perfect, but it’s definitely better than doing it manually.

Conclusion

Should you get the Neffos C5 or C5 Max? It depends on whether you need the size. Personally, I prefer the C5 because it is less expensive, more compact as a secondary backup smartphone and I don’t feel much real-life performance difference against the C5 Max. Yet for another S$50, the C4 Max has better camera, higher specs and larger higher resolution screen.

The Neffos C5 Max retails at S$249 in Singapore. TP-LINK recently opened its new showroom and service centre at Aperia Mall at Kallang Avenue, so you can head there to get acquainted with TP-LINK list of networking and mobile products or any TP-LINK reseller.